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Raw Sprouted Hummus

Yes, another chickpea recipe. I've wanted to do a raw hummus for awhile and thought it was time. Raw chickpeas have a much different flavor than the cooked ones I'm used too and at first I wasn't sure if I would like this. But you know what? It came out really well. Will I make this again...absolutely! They have a nice flavor alone but in a hummus they are spectacular! I've also been playing around with my juice pulp making crackers and this raw hummus was a perfect complement to my new obsession! I made this hummus about the same as I would regular hummus, except I added extra of everything to really get a good and flavorful raw sprouted chickpea hummus.

We know cooked chickpeas are good for us but they are even better after sprouting. Sprouting unleashes their full potential. Water is the key to unlocking their rich source of nutrition. Germination is a life force and we can benefit by adding sprouted nuts and seeds into our daily lives. Once sprouted the protein content will increase by as much as 20%, nucliec acids by 30% and many vitamins by as much as 500% ...yes 500%. Pretty amazing!

Best of all, it's really easy to sprout...it just takes a couple days of patience but it's worth watching your little seeds come to life and do their magic. You don't really need any special tools to sprout your chickpeas. I used a mason jar with a sprouting lid but any bowl or jar will do. Cheesecloth rubber banded around the top of a jar will work too if you don't have a sprouting lid. I've also sprouted without any lids and did just fine using my hand & fingers as a strainer. You could just as well use a simple colander after the initial soaking process; this will ensure maximum air flow and allow you to really rinse them well. The main points to sprouting is the initial overnight soaking, then rinsing thoroughly 2 - 3 times a day with purified water for two days.

Once sprouted the beans will be at their highest potential and will give you excellent nutrition along with a wonderful hummus once everything is put together. The above picture is two days after the initial soak. Most of my beans sprouted very well, some only had little sprouts and some had none. You can expect various stages of sprouting and that is perfectly fine.

If starting with dried beans, place your beans in a large bowl and fill with purified water. The beans will double in size so be sure to cover and leave plenty of extra water for them to soak up, about 2 to 3 times as much water. Soak for 8 -12 hours. Rinse and drain thoroughly. Leave your beans anywhere at room temp and rinse and drain once every 8 - 12 hours for two days. Here is a great guide to sprouting garbanzo beans from the Sprout People for reference.

Place all your ingredients into your food processor/blender and blend until creamy. Taste for flavor adding anything extra you like. If adding more water, add 1 tablespoon at a time until desired consistency.

I would suggest using the best water possible while soaking, only because the beans will absorb this water and you don't want questionable water to be soaked up. Unless you know how good the quality of your tap water is I suggest using purified water for the first step. But after that when rinsing and draining for the next couple days you can just as well use tap water. My water is questionable and I prefer to do the initial soak with purified water. Just use your best judgement. :)

Enjoy the hummus! I finished mine off last night with some of my juice pulp crackers...the hummus has a nice grassy grassy flavor, the citrus pairs so nicely.

I tried this tonight in my high-speed blender (Breville) and it was amazing. I used the liquefy setting and it came out nice and creamy. Then I added some chopped celery, onion, and red pepper and spooned it into some escarole leaves. VERY tasty. You do not need to cook the beans, I sprouted mine and blended after 2 days of periodic rinsing as the directions call for. I don't think I will make hummus with cooked beans ever again.

YUMMMMM I also added a great big tomato one large raw red bell pepper 2 tables spoons of coconut nectar and a table spoon of onion powder could not find my cumin so I put in a tsp of chili pepper and 1/2 tsp of cayenne along with your ingredients so good thank you this was so much fun. PS I did double my batch 2 cups of chick peas etc etc so that is why my ingredients are so much more. Thanks

The tahini is raw if you don't toast your seeds. I make my own and never bother to toast them. if using a store brand tahini, most likely it will be toasted sesame seeds making this a technically not raw hummus. It's super easy to make your own, and more beneficial than store bought being that the hull is left on which contains added fiber and nutrients. You can try making your own raw hummus with this recipe I have available: http://thesimpleveganista.blogspot.com/2012/10/homemade-tahini.html

I would say up to five days. I've never had it that long so I'm unsure but I think at five days, maybe six, is about right. Good luck with your raw month! I think it's great that your doing this for yourself. Cheers :)

Sprouted chickpeas have a different taste than cooked chickpeas. It's a grassy flavor. You will notice that the spices are much more than usual hummus to make up for the different flavor if your not accustomed to it. If you like this will depend entirely on your senses. I like this and many others have too so it is a personal preference. It's helpful to read the comments too to see what others think. And, you will never know unless you give it a try! I suggest trying it out with your sprouted chickpeas while plenty of spices. It may surprise you. Hope it works for you! :)

I would say they shouldn't be too stinky, they may have a slight smell but it shouldn't be so obvious. That may be a sign of not enough air flow in between rinsing, maybe it was too many chickpeas at once like you said. I suggest starting over, especially if the smell is bothersome! Good luck :)

This post inspired me to try sprouting garbanzos for the first time. Easier than expected! I just made up the hummus and popped it in the fridge. It's very good, very grassy and green tasting. Kind of like when you eat peas from the garden that have gotten a little on the big side. Thanks for the info and recipe!

I tried raw sprouted hummus and while it isn't the worst thing in the world I've tasted, I didn't like it. I prefer cooked beans in hummus (but I'll sprout them first, of course). Unfortunately, I used an entire bag of garbanzo beans for the sprouted raw hummus so I'm stuck eating it for a while. I put pepperocinis on top of it to help the flavor since, as I said, I'm really not a fan of the raw after trying it.

I suggest leaving them on the counter somewhere out of the way. You want them to get as much air flow as possible. If it's not climate controlled and very hot where you live, I suggest rinsing at least three times a day. If using a colander, you may lay a peice of cheesecloth over top, a paper towel or peice of paper with a few holes punched in. If using a container like I used, cheesecloth is best. Use a rubber band over the mouth to hold the cloth on. This will allow you to drain your sprouts easily while allowing air flow throughout the day. I've also heard of others using a fine mesh produce bag to sprout their beans in. Hope this helps and good luck with your sprouting!

Hey this is an interesring recipe! I have made raw hummus before with green garbanzo beans, you can get them in summertime still in cute little pods. I love snacking on those, and my hummus also had a handful of pine nuts, since i am not a big fan of tahini. I would love to try your recipe and I hope it tastes similar to what i have made before, since green chickpeas are not available right now.

Just made a batch. Really yummy. Had no coriander (it's at school ... the children were doing craft with spice) so I left it out. Wondering if it would change the flavour from "grassy" to "earthy" if I use sesame seed oil instead of olive oil. Will try that next time.

I just tried this recipe, because it looks so tasty, but it tastes really gross! I can't even describe it, it just makes us gag! Is it possible that I let the chickpeas germinate too long? Their leaves had started to grow.

It is possible that the chickpeas germinated too long or spoiled during sprouting with not enough air circulation. Did the chickpeas have a funny smell? I don't think they should have had leaves starting to grow, so maybe that was part of the problem. Or it could simply be that this recipe is not for your taste buds. Maybe you will give one more try and see if will work for you. :)

The chickpeas definitely weren't spoilt, they smelled fine, and I have eaten them sprouted as far as leaves before and they didn't taste bad, so I think it might just be my taste buds after all! Maybe the other flavours would have to be much stronger.

If I get around to making the recipe again any time soon, I will report back! Sadly, this failure has marred my love for hummus somewhat, even the stuff we usually love from the supermarket... Haha!

I totally just made this, and it turned out WONDERFUL!!!! I didn't have any coriander, so I substituted it for some onion powder and a little bit of garlic salt! Still tastes great :) I'm so excited because this is the first time I have ever made my own hummus, and the first time i've ever sprouted my own chickpeas!

I've been sprouting my chickpeas now for days and they still look the same as at the beginning. AM I doing something wrong. I am having them in a sieve, rinse them 3 times a day, though they dry up somewhat during the day, when I'm not in. I tasted them though, and they seem to be quite soft, I meant soft enough to eat them raw.

They might be heat treated, and not living anymore, so will not sprout. Mine have sprouted in 1 day after the soaking. I had the same thing happen to me with pumkin seeds (i was waiting for like 4 days for them to sprout before i realised that smth was wrong), so i do not buy chinese seeds anymore. Try to buy organic. Mine are organic chickpeas from Turkey.

Tastes very good. I will definitely make again. I soaked the dry garbanzo beans in purified water for a day, and then used tap water to rinse and drain about three times a day. I substituted nonhydrogenated roasted peanut butter because I did not have tahini; substituted hemp oil, and added an extra clove of garlic. The spices cover up the starchy flavor of the raw garbanzo beans.

I had been thinking about sprouting chickpeas and this made it really clear. It was much easier than I expected and the hummus is delicious, there is a slightly sprouty taste (similar to alfalfa) but it is very tasty